Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
DDC Press Release..****
GROWTH POINT STATUS BRINGS MAJOR BOOST
FOR WORLD-CLASS FUTURE FOR DOVER DISTRICT
A major far-reaching boost to transformational work for a world-class future for Dover District is being celebrated today, following exciting news from the Government that the district has been successful in its bid for Growth Point status.
This major announcement by the Department for Communities and Local Government follows the submission of a bid by Dover District Council last year, working with a range of partners including the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), English Partnerships, Kent County Council, Dover Harbour Board and Dover Pride, in delivering the regeneration programme to achieve transformational change.
Growth Points are a Government initiative to provide support to local communities who wish to pursue large scale and sustainable growth. The successful bid follows extensive work with a range of partners and means the Council will be able to gain access to special national funds to help with planning and delivering new developments.
With a world-class port at Dover, world-class heritage, and a range of exciting developments coming together, the district is working for a world-class future.
Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council said: "Opportunities for growth and prosperity arrive very infrequently across the generations. When they occur they need to grasped and civic leaders and business need to have the courage to take far-reaching decisions. This is one such occasion.
"Dover has world famous assets and the ability to fully harness those assets for the good of the community has thwarted previous generations in both the political and business communities. The major change that makes the difference this time is the joint working and partnership engagement across public sector agencies, local authorities, MPs, business and community interests. A range of programmes that on their own are exciting but combined provide a transformational regeneration programme that is unprecedented in Dover's history. The partnership supported bid and confirmation of Growth Point status will deliver the national priority and working finance that binds the individual parts into a comprehensive package. A sustainable future will only be achieved by growth and today's designation of Growth Point gives our residents and businesses the opportunity for a world-class future."
Now we have the funds, please God let the people who will do the business make the most of it!!! We say Hurrah!!!!!! Well Done!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
paul
a lovely post, excellent long words.
how much dosh do we get for being a growth point?
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
This is, or certainly should be good, good news for the region but Pauls list creates its own concerns. DHB is heavily represented as they are on the list as well as being on Dover Pride and, I seem to recall, are represented on SEEDA. Notable by their absence are Dover, Deal and Sandwich Town Councils, with the Dover Town Council also being excluded from Dover Pride. A good reason for my reservations would be DHB's own trading figures. While they loudly and frequently exclaim as to how much business they are bringing into the town their own statistics tend to disagree. As we all know the lorry drivers that so often block our roads do not spend money in the town, to the extent that they do not even use the toilets, prefering disposable bottles or the roadside. Over the last ten years the numbers of haulage vehicles using the port has dramatically increased while, over the same period, the numbers of tourist cars has dropped by nearly the same amount and coaches have dropped by nearly 60,000. At the same time deliveries of aggregates has increased and yet the number of vessels entering the port has dropped. A lot more lorries and yet less vessels to take them over the channel. It has to be asked if their proposed new developments will end up as lorry parking space rather than as a benefit to the town. Remembering that they will take no responsability for any traffic until it enters the port how promising is it for them to be so heavily represented among DDC's 'partners' to the exclusion of the towns elected representatives?
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
Chris
I would hate to disagree with you on Dover pride board, but I think you will find Dover town council does have a representative on it .
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
This our opportunity to help move Dover forward - on all aspects.
Being a growth point will also help raise the issue of dualling the A2 further up the ladder.
It will open doors that would never be opened to us before; there are some very brave decisions that need to be made, but we must also never forget the "managing" of the Town and the need to smarten up the dilapidated buildings, clean up the closed down ones and restore the pride in our Town once again.
We must also work on tourism - Group Travel and FITS as well as increasing tourism from/to France and Belgium - cross-border initiatives where people from this area can find out what there is to do in France other than shop for cheap booze and ciggies.
Roger
Keith - just to be correct - DTC does not have a place on the Board - Bob Markhams is a personal nomination.
D
Unregistered User
Bob Markham's term of office has been completed & Gordon Cowan has been invited to take his place. Surely that represents DTC, whether we invite or they choose. Don't intend to get into machinations of DTC workings save to say they have had an elected member with Dover Pride for two years. We have thanked Bob Markham for his contribution.
Paul Watkins as V/Chairman Dover Pride
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
Thanks for that clarrification paul
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
Of course Cowan is still there as a personal nomination and it does not alter the point about DHB, or the other town councils.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Unregistered User
I'm not into playing your game Chris. The major groups who make decisions & can influence the higher agenda are there.
A representative FROM DTC has been invited, end of story.
Take the good news for what it is. a BOOST for Dover.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
No game intended here, merely expressing a legitamate word of caution. Dover Pride publshed a beautiful little booklet stating some of their objectives. This included the Western Heights as a 'development' area without giving details and also included a nice coloured map of the area, differentiating between residential and open areas, that showed the Aycliffe area as 'open'. No indication of where all the residents are supposed to have gone.
DHB have published proposals for the redevelopment of the Western Docks that, although promising in theory, show scant regard for the residents of this area in terms of accesability and various pollution problems. Their public statements about the project are at odds with their own figures (examined in a seperate posting previously) which immediately raises concerns about the future of traffic management in the town generally and this area specifically. All if which does give rise to justifiable concerns. As I said, not a game just genuine concern as to the end results of this 'Higher agenda'.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Unregistered User
Chris,in general.none of these proposals, if deliverable, can happen without the public involvement you talk about & also environmental assessments to mitigate any effects if identified.
Not aware of the Aycliffe map but will look again at some time.
You know my views about A20 traffic,pollution & Aycliffe, they have not changed.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
do we know what amount of dosh the finance amounts to, and when it will be made available for spending on projects?
Paul - I don't know your views on the A20 traffic, pollution and Aycliffe..........
Unregistered User
Bern,
Same as Chris's , needs sorting.
I have now managed to obtain a position on the Regional Transport Committee, so Dover can now have a direct imput into decision making & press the case with DHB for IMPROVED ROAD CONNECTIONS TO DOVER. Nigel as always is ever present, taking in the info & using it when opportunities are presented. We are the only District in the South East with this seat. [we are not a transport authority]
Paul
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
Bern, if it helps I am happy to explain my views on the A20.
I feel that this road is overused, poorly served and in the wrong place. It cuts this town off from its own seafront and often causes congestions that clog up the whole town. On average we suffer major tailbacks about three times as often as 'Operation Stack' is put in place and when we do the road is badly policed (if at all). The most obvious answer is to swap the emphasis to the A2, possibly with a 'ring' road to take traffic around the town instead of through it but of course the government appears loath to even consider the idea. The Aycliffe area not only suffers from the noise and air pollution when there is any tailbacks but also has the added problem of arctics coming onto the estate (which is closed having only one road in and out). Once on the estate, which is not designed for vehicles of any length, they always cause disruption and often damage walls, road signs, lampposts etc while they try to manouver back out. This also happens whenever diversions are put in place because of the poor policing. Despite constantly asking for better sinage and clearer road markings the Highways Agency has a stock answer that speed limits will solve the problem. This is of course a complete nonsense as it does not matter if they are doing fify or five miles an hour, once diverted they will look for an alternative route and there is nothing to dissaude them from trying 'Old Folkestone Road'. Suggesting speed limits as the only answer just shows a complete lack of understanding of the problems or worse a total lack of concern for them.
One of the often proposed solutions, from DHB and strongly supported by the Chamber of Commerce, is to stick a lorry park or buffer zone, or whatever else they want to call it, right at the end of the estate. As that is in the direction of the prevailing wind it means right where the playing field and primary school (soon to have a Children's Centre) would get the full benefit of all the extra noise, light and air pollution before contaminating the rest of this residential area. As you can imagine, I am strongly opposed to this location. I also question the proposed new development at the Western Docks because the proposed road layout would encourage greater use of the stretch of road across the Western Heights roundabout. This will not only increase the difficulties for Aycliffe whenever there is a problem but it will also reduce the effective arguments in favour of the duelling and greater use of the A2. It will also do little to mitigate the effect the road has in dividing the town
Hope this clarifies it all for you from my end.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Thank you, it does. And frankly you have no argument from me!! I can only imagine the frustration and hardship caused to people living in the Ayecliffe area. It's bad enough trying just to get through it to get to my home near Connaught Park - having to live with the dirt and disruption must be a nightmare. And although I have no intention of "police-bashing", my own perception is that there is little if any effective traffic-policing during crisis in and around Dover. I drive home from work in London daily and there are times when it feels as if it takes longer to drive through Dover than to Dover..........what a pain for people living here, and what a terrible advertisement for tourists and travellers whose first experience of Dover is a traffic jam.
Guest 668- Registered: 13 Apr 2008
- Posts: 91
It seems so obvious to 99% of the dover (town) population that dueling the A2 / extending the M2 to the ports is the ONLY real way we're going to regain a seafront.
Unregistered User
Chris you have it right
